The three Scandinavian countries - Denmark, Norway and Sweden - all le
galized voluntary sterilization in the 1970s. Previous legislation had
been very restrictive, limiting access to certain defined minority gr
oups. During the two decades with this new possibility, sterilization
has been accepted as a good contraceptive alternative, equally accessi
ble for men and women above age 25 years. The sterilization frequency
varies considerably between the three countries, being most popular in
Norway and Denmark. The proportion of sterilization in males versus f
emales is 40% in Denmark, 25% in Norway and 20% in Sweden. Published f
ollow-up studies point out risk groups for regret of the intervention,
and underline the need for good preoperative counseling. The overall
results are very positive.